I won’t embellish or exaggerate on my experience with Grant Fidelity and their product. I will just post what I said to them and their response. The following is exactly what I sent to them and their reply. I leave it to the reader to judge if this is an organization you want to do business with. First is my email to them and then their reply follows.
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Hi,
Yes, my PayPal is linked to both my checking account and credit cards. The message I got from PayPal was credit card payment was not allowed for this transaction. Either way it is disappointing that you would hold up shipping based on some silly PayPal transfer thing. Is it really your experience that purchasers of high end audio equipment are the type to submit bogus PayPal payments? Just a rhetorical question, I do not expect an answer.
Anyway. I am going to be posting my review to several audio forums including Audio Karma, Stereophile, Audioholics, etc. It is my right as a consumer and an American citizen to share my experience publicly. I have a complete and total absence of malice towards you individually or your organization. This is just the facts of my involvement with you and the performance of the product purchased. Below is what I am going to post. Also, I am appalled by the heinous fees, deductions, penalties, etc that I am going to be subjected to in order to return this defective product. If nothing changes I will be disputing this purchase with my credit card company, notifying the Better Business Bureau, and advising the the US Customs department of your import process.
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Subject/Title: Grant Fidelity Shuguang I-25 Amp – Buyer Beware!
Let me begin by saying I am a long time lover of music and stereos. As a teenager when I started earning money with my paper route job the first thing I bought was a stereo.
I just purchased a Grant Fidelity Shuguang I-25 Amplifier. I have been experimenting with the amp for the past two weeks. I am not new to the audio scene and have a variety of modern and vintage gear including cd players, turntables, amplifiers, and speakers. There were not many reviews available for this product when I purchased it but I was encouraged by their advertisement that they offered “High end, not high priced” equipment. My review of this product and the customer service of Grant Fidelity is not positive.
1st, the amp. It sounds bad. I know the audiophiles out there will want me to clarify this appraisal with the usual “soundstage, imaging, presence, etc” type of critical analysis but it really does not apply in this case. Bad is bad. If I had to make a specific comment I would say it is like someone took a graphic equalizer and just randomly boosted and cut frequencies. Of particular concern is what the amp does to the vocals. Hollow, reserved, pulled back, weak, shrill, you get the picture.
2nd, the customer service. I very promptly let Rachel and Ian know that I was not satisfied with the amp. I told them that in my opinion the amp may be defective. In response I was told I could return the amp and was sent the link to their return policy. Here is what I am facing.
Restocking fee: $78.50
Credit card fee: $27.48
Insurance fee: $7.85
Original shipping fee: Probably around $40
Return shipping fee: Probably around $40
So, I was delivered a “Made in China” defective or poorly designed product and for the privilege of enduring (not enjoying) this unit for two weeks I will be out $200. $200 dollars! I have purchased and own used amps that perform better than the I-25 for less than that. Oh, and the original declared amount for customs is listed as $75. Is that even legal? Do you think they will let me insure it for $75 when I ship it to Canada?
In conclusion I would advise everyone to think twice before purchasing the Shuguang I-25 Amplifier from Grant Fidelity. My experience with the product, the customer service, and the crippling return policy/fees will definitely prevent me from purchasing anything from from their organization again.
Sincerely,
William
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This is the reply from Grant Fidelity
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From: Grant Fidelity
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 5:58 PM
To: William Bost
Subject: Re: More details on your shipment (Order #: 2011000253)
You have every right to post what you want in public, and we will respond everything we know about this transaction in public too:
1) you ordered the amp online April 3rd without asking us any questions about the amp or matching to your speakers. Your amp was delivered on April 12th. Where is the two weeks of you enduring the amp according to your email? It's April 20th today - cannot you count it's only 8 days??? As far as we know from the phone call from you on April 13th, you have brand new speakers with zero time when you receive the amp and put the two together to play. This is a tube amp which needs 150-300 hours to break-in, your speakers likely at least 100 hours. You complained the sound first day you got the amp. Go figure why. If you call this 'not new to audio', I must say you are extremely unreasonable.
2) No merchant in their right mind will ship an internet order without receiving payment. Paypal strongly advises against it. You get Paypal notification that credit card is not allowed for this transaction could only have two reasons: one, because either your type of credit card cannot be processed, two, your credit card doesn't have enough credit left for the purchase. It's up to you make payment to the seller then expect delivery. If you wish us to bend the rules for you to ship your order without full payment, unfortunately my answer is No, and my answer will be No to everyone. We are not a bank and we don't extend credit to customers. Until payment is received in full, we do not ship any orders. We don't judge people's credibility by what products they order - no matter it is high end or $5.00.
3) If you don't agree with our return policy for your purchase, please don't buy from us in the first place. But please do not tell me after a few days 'I am not a tube guy' when you just bought a tube amp. You can go complain anywhere and I bet you will get the same answer that vendor isn't responsible for your purchase decision. No one has talked you into buying - it's your own decision to buy and live with the return policy if you didn't read it.
4) It's apparent that you made an impulsive purchase then remorse on it. You do not have the patience to wait for a tube amp to break in to judge how it will sound - plus your speakers are brand new - what do you expect? Did we say maybe there is a possibility that your speakers are not good enough to show the amp at all???
5) You enjoyed the fast free shipping to your door at the time of purchase, but when you changed your mind, you started to complain about shipping isn't free anymore. Our return policy is all listed on our website - why aren't you reading it before you buy? No vendors will cover the expenses you have incurred because of your impulsive purchase and no patience. If you buy from box store and they allow you return with no fees, then go buy at box store as we are not one of them.
5) Any forum members or someone with clear mind will see through your behavior pattern. Please complain to wherever you want - we will respond in public to every of your post and make sure all merchants understand what kind of customer you really are from the sequence of events. It will be called Seller Beaware and I bet much fewer people will actually do business with you based on our experience with you.
6) We don't take any internet blackmail - we will respond to every of them with facts and let readers to judge. I have seen a few threats like yours but it won't change our mind to bow to your blackmail. If you would like to bring it to public, we will do it all the way with you. Check the forums - we have done a few.
7) However the Chinese shipper to declare the value on the parcel is not in our control. We contract people there to ship and they deliver the parcel. If you would like, I can certainly provide your name and address to US customs and let's see if you have enjoyed some low value import from other countries before. Sound fair enough? Seems you weren't complaining about not receiving a duty bill at the time of delivery.
8) In conclusion, I will strongly recommend all audio vendors not to do business with you in the forums. No need to think twice - it's clear enough from our experience - no one needs a customer like if this is how you behave.
Regards,
Grant Fidelity
